Guide: Planning your vacation in 2012

It's time to exercise your imagination and start stretching your budget. The ideas and info in these stories will help you plan your ideal trip -- whether you're headed to New York (above) or New Mexico, the Summer Games in London or the sunny beaches of Hawaii or the Caribbean.

Here is a list of selected national and international airlines that offer flights out of major U.S. cities. In some cases, an airline may not have its own mileage-reward program but may partner with another airline. Note: "FF" denotes "frequent flier." Aer Lingus (800) 474-7424 reservations/FF http://www.aerlingus.com...

Here's a list of many of the lines that carry passenger traffic, along with a list of their vessels. Ships that are to have maiden voyages this year also are listed; check with the cruise line, though, because dates can change. AIDA Cruises, (011) 49-381-20-270707, http://www.aida.de. Each name...